HOUSTON - Tracy McGrady is leaving his hometown team for Houston in a blockbuster trade that sends Steve Francis to the Orlando Magic and gives the Rockets one of the NBA's most intriguing duos.

The deal, which had been in the works for nearly two weeks, also sent forward Juwan Howard and guards Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines to the Rockets. The Magic will acquire guard Cuttino Mobley and forward Kelvin Cato.

The trade was finalized after Francis' meeting with Magic general manager John Weisbrod and other team officials in Orlando.

McGrady, a two-time NBA scoring champion, now joins 7-foot-5 Yao Ming to form a combination that potentially could be as dominant as the Los Angeles Lakers' three-time title twosome of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

TORONTO - Sam Mitchell was hired as coach of the Toronto Raptors.Mitchell, who played in the NBA for 13 years, was an assistant coach for the expansion Charlotte Bobcats for the past month. After playing for Minnesota and Indiana, Mitchell spent two years as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks before leaving for Charlotte.

CINCINNATI - Austin Kearns needs surgery to remove scar tissue from his aching right thumb, sidelining the Cincinnati Reds' outfielder for another four to six weeks.Kearns developed a sore spot on the inside of the thumb last month, eventually ending up on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this season. The soreness hasn't gone away, and doctors decided that surgery is the only option left.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Miami Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael was arrested for allegedly hitting his pregnant wife.McMichael was charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman, a second-degree felony that is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, Broward County sheriff's officials said.His wife, Cawanna, also was arrested on a domestic battery charge stemming from a fight early in the morning at their home. Officials said she is six months pregnant.Randy McMichael was released in the evening on $5,000 bond; his wife on a $1,000 bond, officials said. Both appeared in court wearing jail-issued uniforms, and both wept during the brief proceeding.